Nine
by IdiotAmerica56
Summary: [My idea of what book nine will be] Mark Dimond and Courtney Chetwynde are forced into a waiting game after Bobby's latest journal. But a visit to the flumes changes everything...


A/N: Here I go, another Pendragon fanfiction. I know I should finish Memory, but I've decided that after working on that series for over a year, it's time I start something new. So here I go with Nine. Yes, this is what I think will happen in the ninth book that has no title. DJ wouldn't tell us when I saw him at a book signing. Yes, I met DJ -happy dance- Ahem. Anyways, on with the story. I'll be doing this one in a more Pendragon like format. Mark and Courtney chapters and journal chapters. Oh and don't read if you haven't read Pilgrims of Rayne!

**-Nine-**

**Second Earth **

The bus pulled away as Courtney Chetwynde stepped off it, her backpack slung over her right shoulder and a history project clutched between her shoulders. Her best friend Mark Dimond followed, dropping his stuff inside the doorway as he followed Courtney into the basement.

"Still nothing today then." Mark said, bringing up a forbidden subject. It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Almost four months had passed since Courtney had recieved Bobby's latest journal from Ibara, stating not only that it would be his last journal but that he had destroyed Ibara's flume, trapping both he and Saint Dane inside Veelox.

"Nope," Courtney replied. The only reason they sat in the basement today was for a history project they had been assigned to do together. They still talked, but since there were no journals to read, the friendship was slowly slipping away.

"Didn't think so," Mark replied. There was a sudden awkward silence as thoughts of how Bobby was doing took over their minds. "So, should we get started?" Mark asked, ending the silence suddenly.

"Yeah..." Courtney said, snapping out of her daze. "Let's get started."

At nine o'clock, the project was finished, and the topic of the journals and Bobby had long since been forgotten.

"Wow, this is pretty good!" Courtney said.

"Yeah!" Agreed Mark. "We'll get an A for sure," He smiled. It had been awhile since he had really talked to Courtney, and he was glad to speak with her again.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" Courtney said.

"Yeah," Mark replied. The two hugged, and Mark Dimond began his walk home. Yet, strangely enough, the path he was walking wasn't taking him home. Instead, he found himself on his way to the Sherwood house. It was too late to turn back now, and Mark stepped inside and down into the basement. "What am I doing here..." he said to himself as the flume loomed before him. Mark shuddered as he remembered one of his latest flume rides, a ride with Nevva Winter, who was leading him to destroy all of Halla. Lucky for him, before his invention Forge had made it to England, Courtney had showed up on the _Queen Mary _and saved him from destroying everything Bobby and the other Travelers had worked so hard to protect. Mark bowed his head in shame at the thought.

_It's all in the past now, _he thought, reassuring himself. _Don't let your demons control you. _

A familiar melody of notes faintly drifted into Mark's ears, making him jerk his head upwards. The music became louder as the craggy rock walls of the flume began to transform from gray rock to see-through chrystal. Somebody was coming. Mark could only hope that it was a Traveler, hopefully Bobby, traveling through time and space to Second Earth.

Quickly, Mark pulled out a cell phone and called one of three numbers in his speed dial.

"Pick up, pick up..." Mark prayed as the music was at its loudest. He knew that any second now the music would die.

"Hello?" came Courtney's voice. Mark cheered on the inside at the sound of her voice.

"Courtney, get down here there's someone coming through the flume!" The music died, and a figure appeared inside the flume.

"I'm on my way!" The line went dead, and the Traveler from Denduron stepped out of the flume. Mark breathed a sign of relief, but still felt a feeling of sadness that it hadn't been Bobby.

"You're Mark Dimond, Pendragon's acolyte, yes?"

"Yeah," Mark replied coolly, happy that he had finally gotten rid of his stutter. "You're Alder, aren't you?"

"Yes. I need to speak with you about something,"

"Is it about Ibara?" Mark asked, adjusting his glasses. Alder nodded. "Courtney will be here in a minute. We'll talk about it when she gets here."

Five minutes later Courtney arrived in the basement, breathless and holding a sharp looking kitchen knife.

"Oh, Alder, it's just you..." Courtney said. She dropped the knife and came to stand by Mark and Alder. "Why are you here?"

"As you probably know from his journal, Pendragon sent me to Quillan to return the weapons. After I did that, I stepped up to the flume and called Ibara, but nothing happened. I continued doing this, and still nothing happened. What did he do?" Mark glanced at Courtney, who nodded.

"He...used the tak to destroy Ibara's flume."

"Pendragon _destroyed _Ibara's flume?" exclaimed Alder. The usually calm man took a deep breath. "Why...did he do this?"

"He wanted to trap Saint Dane there," Mark explained.

"I don't think that will work," Alder said. "I believe that Saint Dane's shapeshifting ability allows him to be in more than one place at the same time."

"I think that too," Courtney said.

Alder let out a heavy sigh. "He is being foolish." Mark nodded.

"He thinks it's for the best," he said. "And I'll stand by that."

"Yes, I will too," Alder said. "Do you know if there is a second flume on Ibara?"

"I don't think so, and even if there was, it hasn't been uncovered yet. And traveling to Veelox wouldn't do us any good either."

"Yes, we would arrive way before Ibara was even created."

"I guess all we can do is wait for a journal then," Courtney said. Alder nodded.

"Please, contact me when a journal arrives. I want to see what he is up to. Hopefully this is the way it's meant to be. Goodbye, Mark and Courtney." With that, Alder turned to the flume and yelled out "Denduron!" The familiar music filled the Traveler's ears and the walls once again turned to crystal. Five seconds later, Alder was whisked into the mysterious tunnel by an invisible force and was gone.

**A/N: Woohoo, this chapter sucked! But hey, I'm just happy to be writing Pendragon again. I like new beginnings. Next chapter might be about Saint Dane and the Convergence, or it might be another Mark and Courtney. I've yet to decide yet. Expect another update soon, and hopefully it'll be longer too. I don't think this one brushed 1000 words. Reviews are lovely! Flame if you wish. Until next time...**


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